Find the Gold in Your Book and Turn it Into Profitable Products

1. How to Find the Gold in Your Book

As an author, you’ve poured your heart and soul into creating your book. But now that it’s finished, what’s next? How do you make money from your book and ensure that your ideas reach as many readers as possible? One key strategy is to re-purpose your book’s content into additional products and services. This means taking the content you’ve created and finding new ways to use it to generate revenue. By doing this, you can create multiple streams of income and expand your reach to new audiences.

What I have discovered is that products that you make from your book’s content can very often bring in more money than the original book. Once you have your book, you can reuse the content over and over in additional products.

One example of this is taking the PDF file of your book and selling it on your website. This allows you to reach readers who may not want to purchase a physical book or prefer to read on their electronic devices. You can also take the PDF and create a digital product by adding videos, audio recordings, or a workbook. We can sell this for a higher price than just a standalone book.

Other ways to re-purpose your book content include:

• Creating a physical book from an e-book
• Creating an e-book or Kindle version of a physical book
• Creating a workbook, journal, or checklist
• Recording an audio version of the book and selling it on ACX.com with Audible.com or FindAwayVoices.com, or as downloadable .mp3 files on Gumroad.com
• Turning each chapter into a podcast
• Create a PowerPoint presentation or video based on the book
• Hosting webinars or seminars based on the book’s content
• Using YouTube, Facebook Live, or Zoom to interview other authors or experts to discuss the book or related topics. Turn these into posts, or podcasts
• Creating video training courses based on the book’s content. This is easy to do, use each chapter as the title and the content.
• Creating cheat sheets, assessments, or how-to sheets based on the book
• Using illustrations from the book to create a picture book or merchandise on sites like CafePress.com, Zazzle.com, or Redbubble.com
• Building a resource list or affiliate offers for readers
• Reselling the content for Private Label Rights.

By re-purposing your book’s content in these ways, you can increase your visibility, reach new audiences, and generate additional revenue. Don’t be afraid to be creative and find new ways to monetize your book’s content.

Here is an idea, you write your book with the idea that you will pull additional products out of it. Write it with a workbook or checklist built in.

2. What Kind of Books Can You Turn into Products?

Your book is a curated collection of your thoughts or ideas on a topic. You put these together in an orderly manner. Once it’s finished, what’s next? One way to make the most of your book is to re-purpose the same content and turn it into additional products. What kinds of books work best for this strategy?

• Business books are a great option for re-purposing. They often contain valuable information and strategies that can be translated into online courses, webinars, or coaching services. Each chapter can be turned into a video and now you have a course. How about worksheets, checklists, assessments, or other resources for readers? One of my favorites is to create a workbook from the content. Take each main point and put them on a page as a question or exercise. Add some lines below and you now have a workbook. Add some resources in the back. Combined with the original book, you now have a package. Sell individually or as a companion for a course or coaching session.
• Self-help books are also a great option for re-purposing. They often contain a wealth of information and lessons that you can converted into online courses, coaching services, or even an audio program. They can also be used to create worksheets, journals, or other resources for readers.
• Children’s books can be re-purposed for example, into a picture book, into educational resources for teachers, or into educational games for kids. With print-on-demand, you can create over 100 different kinds of products for free on sites like RedBubble.com, CafePress.com, and Zazzle.com. T-shirts, pillows, mugs, calendars, phone cases, and coloring books. The list goes on and on.
• Cookbooks are a great source for re-purposing, as they often contain a wealth of information and recipes that can be turned into cooking classes, meal planning services, or even a cooking show. Each recipe is a video lesson. How about a member/subscription site? Every week a new lesson.
• can also createHow-to books, like cookbooks, containing tons of information and step-by-step instructions that can be turned into online courses, webinars, or coaching services. You can also create worksheets, assessments, or other resources for readers.

Books that ask questions or have lessons or resources can be re-purposed in many ways. For example, into a course, a webinar, a coaching program, a podcast series, or a video series.

Even fiction books can be re-purposed, for example, into a screenplay, into a stage play, a graphic novel, a video game, or a board game. Think Harry Potter and all the products they made that book. You can make them as well. Add a travel journal book based on your book. Even a t-shirt from the cover art.

In conclusion, almost any book can be re-purposed and turned into additional products. Some types of books like business, self-help, children’s books, cookbooks, how-to books, and books that ask questions, have lessons, or resources, work particularly well for this strategy. But even fiction books can be re-purposed in many ways. The key is to think creatively and find ways to monetize your book’s content.

3. What Kinds of Products Can Rou Make from Your Book?

One way to make the most of your book is to re-purpose its content and turn it into additional products. But what kind of products can you make from your book?

One option is creating an e-book version of your book. This allows you to reach readers who may prefer to read on their electronic devices or who prefer a more eco-friendly option. E-books can be sold on your website or on platforms such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). One of my favorites is to create a PDF version of your book. I can sell this on a site like Gumroad. Purchase and download to your desktop or tablet. The advantage of this is that you can combine it with some video content, worksheets, audio, etc. Create a bundle. You can charge whatever you want.

Another option is creating a print book. This allows readers to have a physical copy of your book which can be sold through traditional bookstores or online retailers.

You can also create a checklist or workbook based on your book’s content. These products can be sold on your website and used as a companion to the book or as a standalone product.

Online courses are another option. A single video can be a course and be sold on platforms such as Skillshare.com or Teachable.com. You can also host webinars on the topics in your book or offer workshops, coaching, or consulting services.

Physical products such as merchandise or tools related to your content can be created using print-on-demand services such as Printful.com, Zazzle.com, or CafePress.com. These products can include t-shirts, mugs, calendars, and more.

For example, business books are perfect for creating workbooks and checklists. You can also create a video course by filming each chapter. Self-help books are particularly good for creating workbooks, checklists, and courses. Children’s books can be used to create merchandise with the illustrations such as t-shirts, calendars, and pillows. Cookbooks can be used to create video lessons, small courses, and subscription mailings. How-to books and books that ask questions, lessons, or resources can be used to create workbooks, checklists, courses, consulting, and challenges. Even fiction books can be used to create an audiobook, products related to the book’s subject matter, and membership clubs.

In conclusion, there are many options for re-purposing your book’s content and creating additional products. Some options include e-books, print books, checklists, workbooks, online courses, webinars, workshops, coaching or consulting services, and physical products such as merchandise or tools related to your content. The key is to think creatively and find ways to monetize your book’s content, whether it’s free or paid.

4. How Do You Create a Workbook? Tools, and Resources?

Where do you start? Here are a few steps to help you create effective and valuable products from your book.

1. Identify your target audience: Who are you creating products for? Understanding your audience will help you determine what types of products will be most appealing and valuable to them. Consider the people who have bought your book, as well as any community or group you may have, such as an email list or social media platform. Remember that we live in a global community, so there are 3 billion potential customers worldwide.
2. Evaluate your content: The gold is in your book. What types of content do you have available to turn into products? Consider the key lessons, information, training, etc. that you are writing about. Think about the format, length, and topic of your content, as well as any unique insights or expertise you can offer. As you write your book, build your future products into your current content, extract, package, and sell. Types of products include digital products, PDFs, print-on-demand products, and more.
3. Plan and create your products: Consider how you will package and market your products, as well as how you will deliver them to your customers. Create a small MVP (minimum viable products) first. When you are getting started, remember that one page can be a book. If successful, expand the product. Add more pages. A single video can be a course if it sells. The advantage of creating these small little products is that you didn’t spend 3 months creating something that might not sell. Or even something someone doesn’t want to download for free. Push out the smallest product you can and see if anyone cares. If so, then start expanding it. If not, move on to the next idea. Start with free and see if anything happens. Then interview the customers and get some feedback and then expand and charge some money.

5. How and Where Do You Sell Products and Make Money from Them?

Once your products are ready, it’s time to let your audience know about them! Launching and promoting your products is crucial in order to generate sales and grow your business. Here are some ways to promote your products and drive sales.

1. Use your website as a sales platform. Make it easy for your audience to find and purchase your products. Include calls-to-action, product descriptions, and pricing information.
2. Use social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. Live broadcasts and video promotions can be effective in reaching your audience and showcasing your products.
3. Take advantage of email marketing campaigns. Use email to keep your audience informed about new products, promotions, and sales.
4. Cross-promote your products within your products. For example, include a link to your workbook in your e-book, or promote your online course in your print book.
5. Use online platforms to sell your products. Your website, Amazon, Gumroad, Etsy, Instagram, TikTok, eBay, Shopify, Payhip, and Sellfy. Print-on-demand sites such as RedBubble, Printful, CafePress, Zazzle, FineArtAmerica, etc. Course sites such as Teachable, Kajabi, ClickFunnels, Thinkific, Udemy, and Skillshare.
6. Utilize the new Zoomification of your audience. This is powerful Because of Covid, the world became comfortable using Zoom. The barriers have dropped. Everyone is now trained and also accepts the platform as a way to communicate. Or close enough. Use Zoom to teach, consult, and coach whatever you want. Zoom reaches the entire world, just start.

6. What Next? Continuously Update, Expand and Improve your Products

I have loved making products and have made way more money from my repurposed products from my content than I have from the original books. Your customers are your research department. Listen, adjust and create. Learn more about what your audience wants and what is working well for you. Start updating and improving your products. This will help you stay relevant and continue to offer value to your customers. And here is a master tip, listen for this phrase “I wish there was…”, that is a product idea waiting to be created. Get started.

Bruce Jones is the author and creator of over 50 books and many, many products. If you would like to get started creating your own products from your books, download my free workbook from my Workbook Masterclass. It will get you started. https://www.brucejonesdesign.com/masterclass-create-workbooks-checklist-journals/